UA Graduate College’s UROC–PREP Program
The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Consortium's (UROC)-PREP program is a year-round undergraduate research and mentoring program for students who come from backgrounds underrepresented in graduate education and have interest in pursuing a research oriented graduate degree (Master’s or PhD) at UA. Students interested in professional school (i.e. MD, JD, DVM) are not eligible.
UROC-PREP PROGRAM OVERVIEW
SPRING 2023: Students begin the program in the spring semester and enroll in a 3 unit reading and writing intensive course to strengthen your academic skills. You will work with the UROC Instructional Team on completing the first portion of a written research report which includes a review of relevant literature to better define your research interests. For spring, all students must attend ENGL 340: Professional and Technical Writing which will be taught in person, on campus. The McNair course meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:00 am to 9:15 am. Students are required to attend this UROC-PREP course (No exceptions).
SUMMER 2023: Students who have successfully completed the spring course continue into the summer research portion of the program. You’ll be registered for 3 units (GRAD 492: Directed Research) and work with a UA faculty mentor on a small scale research project in your field of study. You will also be registered for 3 units (GRAD 495: Professional Writing) and work with the UROC Instructional Team on completing your written research report, research poster, and oral presentation. Students are paid a $5,000 summer research stipend and your summer tuition (6 units total) and registration fees are waived. You’ll also complete GRE preparation and testing, attend workshops on funding for Graduate School, practice and polish your public speaking skills, and have your abstract published in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Consortium’s (UROC) Abstract Review. For the summer, a full-time commitment to all activities is expected of all UROC-PREP students (No exceptions).
FALL 2023: Students continue into the fall semester and are registered for a 1 unit graduate school preparation course. You will work with the UROC Instructional Team on completing and submitting your applications to graduate school. For fall, all UROC-PREP students must attend GRAD 496A: The Graduate School Application Process, which will be taught in person, on campus, Fridays, 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm (No exceptions).
ELIGIBILITY
- UROC-PREP is open to students of all disciplines, including social science, humanities, fine arts, and STEM.
- You must be interested in pursuing a graduate degree (Master’s or PhD).
- You must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0+.
- You must be a continuing UA junior or senior:
- With a graduation date of December 2023 or May 2024
- AND planning to apply to graduate school in fall 2023.
- The programs are for students who come from backgrounds that are underrepresented in graduate education. In your online UROC application, you will be asked to explain how the group to which you belong is considered underrepresented in graduate education.
APPLICATION PROCESS
- UROC-PREP is a member of the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Consortium (UROC). Graduate College UROC programs (Summer Research Institute, Minority Health Disparities, Minority Access to Research Careers, Ronald E. McNair Achievement Program) share a common application. Please read the instructions carefully and review the application before you complete it, since you may want to take time to write some of your responses separately, and then cut and paste them into the application. The application must be completed in one sitting.
- For the UROC on-line application: CLICK HERE
- The application deadline for UROC-PREP is November 15th. Students who are interested in UROC-PREP can schedule a meeting with Dr. Andrew Huerta to find out more about the program and discuss their plans for graduate education. Contact Dr. Huerta at email (preferred): ahuerta@arizona.edu.